"So, you absolutely cannot agree to help them." In a situation like this, helping the Gonzales family would be like setting themselves on fire.

Jasmine nodded emphatically. "Justus is right, Mom. This is not the time to be sentimental." Caitlin's scandal was a ticking time bomb. One wrong move could lead to their own ruin. Smart people knew when to protect themselves.

Suzanne rubbed her forehead. "Don't worry. I'm not that foolish." She was fond of Keira, but she knew where to draw the line.

Hearing her assurance, Jasmine and Justus both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Keira has been a formidable woman her entire life," Suzanne mused with a sigh. "To think she'd be brought down by her own granddaughter in her old age."

"To be blunt," Jasmine added, "if they had known she was this kind of person, they would have been better off never acknowledging her." What good was a family member who only brought disaster?

The three of them strolled into the garden, where Hoffman was admiring the flowers. It felt like he hadn't been out of bed for that long, yet so many new blossoms had appeared.

"Hoffman, how are you feeling?" Suzanne asked, walking over to him. "Any discomfort? Do you need to go back and rest?"

"I feel wonderful," he replied, his face beaming. "Mom, I think I'm completely cured! My whole body feels fight Professor Smith, is auffire miracle worker. They said it would take five days, but I've only taken one dose, and I feel like a new man!"

No one could understand the depth of his elation. He had been convinced he wouldn't survive the year. Now, it felt as though he'd been given a second chance at life.

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He looked at his mother. "Mom, thank you for insisting I take the Smith Pilf I had listened to that Miss Gonzales, I'd still be in bed. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Thank goodness he had always trusted his mother's judgment.

Jasmine gave her husband a playful look. "You're only thanking your mother? What about your son and me?" After all, she and Justus had been against Caitlin's involvement from the very beginning. It was Suzanne who had insisted on

bringing her over.

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Suzanne smiled. "Jasmine is right. The real credit goes to the two of them. If they hadn't acted so quickly to get the Smith Pill, we would have had no choice but to rely on Caitlin."

"Grandma, it was my duty," Justus said modestly.

Suzanne looked at her grandson, her eyes filled with pride. Her little boy was finally a man. The future of the Sterling family was in good hands.